Wire-working machine.



W. M. SMELO. w RE WORKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION HLED FEB. a. 1917.

Patented Feb. 11, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

W. M. SMELO.

WIRE WORKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FQLED FEB. 3. 1917.

Patented Feb. 11, 1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- I'MIWIIIIIIIIlllllllllllllllllllillIF WILLIAM M. SMELO,0F PHILADELPHIA. PENNSYLVANIA.

WIRE-WORKING MACHINE.

Application filed February 3. 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. \ViLLLnI M. SMELO, a citizen of the Unlted States,residing in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania. have inventetb certainImprovements in \Vire-Vi'orlting Machines. of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to wire-working 0r wire-twisting machines; and theobject of my invention is to form areintorcing fabric structure made oftwisted warp threads of wire. which tie together. in spaced relation,

reinforcing bars of light or heavy construction as the case may be. Forthis purpose I provide means for feeding rods to suitable positions withrespect to a plurality of rotating members. each of which carries a wirereel 50 that strands of wire therefrom may be wrapped around the bars asthey are dis posed at regular intervals; the said wire strands beingsubsequently twisted between such bars so that the latter can be held indefinitely spaced relation.

These and other features of my invention are more fully describedhereinafter. refer ence being had to the. accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Figure 1. is a diagrammatic view, showing a front elevation of a machinemade in accordance with my invention and designed for twisting strandsof wire together and around reinforcing bars.

Fig. 2. is a diagrammatic plan view of the same.

Fig. 3, is an elevation on an enlarged scale of a portion of thestructure shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4, is a sectional view on the line IV-JV. Fig. 3. and

Figs. 5. 6 and 7. are views illustrating details of my invention.

In the drawings, 1 represents a suitable table to which bars 2 may befed by chains 3, which may be. e means in the form of projections armsdisposed at relatively fixed po nts (not shown) to engage the bars andIced them in fixed relation to each other. Above and below the table areframes 4 and 5, respectively. in which are mounted wirecarrying reels 6and 7 so disposed in suitable rotatable carriers 8 and 9, in which theyare also rotatable on their own axes, as to be movable as a whole aroundthe axis of the carriers around which the strands of Wire are twisted.

is the axis at rotation of the reel-carriers must be open for thepassage of the bars at Specification of Eetters Patent.

Patented til, 1%19.

Serial No. 146.449.

the desired intervals for engagement by the twisted wires. 1 provide aspecial form of hub with driving gearing therefor whereby said carrierswith their rotatably mounted reels may be caused to' rotate around said.open axis. To this end. the opposite Walls of the frames 'l and 5 may beprovided with a plurality' of setsxof rollers 10 and 11 disposed incurved relation with respect to sets of semiammlar hub flanges 1'2 and13 mounted on or carried bv said reel-carriers: one of said sets of hubflanges being toothed for engagement with driven gears 1 whereby saidreel carriers may be rotated with respect to their axis A and deliverwire strands from the reels 6 and 7 to be twisted together and aroundthe bars 2 fed to the same.

In order that the carriers may be driven sinuiltaneously. i provideparalleling shafts 15 and 16. each provided with bevel gears 17 and 18.adapted to mesh with bevel gears 19 andQO whichmay be carried by studshafts 21 and 22 journaled in the f 'ames t and 5. The shafts 21 and 22may also carry gears 23 and 24. for engagement with gears 25 mounted onstub shafts 26. which latter shafts may carry the gears H in engagementwith the toothed portions 13 of the hub flanges of the carriers 8 and 9.It can readily be seen therefore that when this gearing is in action.the reel carriers 8 and 9 will be moved around the open xis A. throughwhich the rods pass; twisting the wire strands from the respective reelstogether and around the bars 2.

The carriers 8 and 9 may be provided with laterally projecting stems 6and 7 upon which the wire reels may be journaled.

' From the reels. the wire strands may pass over small grooved rollers37. 2S and 29, to

the point of twisting, around the bars and around themselves. as shownin Fig. 4.

The shafts 15 and 16 may be driven from a main driving shaft 31 throughthe interposition of gearing indicated at 32. 33 and 34; the maindriving shaft being provided with a suitable clutch 35 so that whilesaid shaft may be in action at all times. the shafts 15 and 16 may bethrown into and out of operation as desired.

in practice. the ends of the wires may be caught ground a bar. (firstentered), and then secured. The rotation of the carriers is thenstarted. and as the chains 3 feed the bars in regular orderconsecutively, the wire strands will be simultaneously twisted aroundthe same to connect the bars, and then twisted together to hold the barsin spaced relation.

"While I have shown in Figs. 3 and 1 an arrangement of gearing whichinvolves the use of pinions 25 mounted on stub shafts 9 6 which alsocarry the gears 14: meshing with the toothed hub sections 13, it will beunderstood that I may, if desired, gear the wheels 23 and 24 directlywith the gears 1 1 and avoid the necessity of employing the extragearing disclosed. Such arrangement, of course, merely constitutes achange in the mechanism for driving the reel carriers and is entirelywithin the scopevof my invention e 'ihinat-ion, in a wire weavingmachine, in a pair of wire reels, a vertically disposed carrier for eachreel and in which the latter rotatably mounted. a split gear in twosections; each carrier having a section of said gear; said gear sectionsbeing rotatable around a common axis aml the reels being rotatablearound axes supported. by the carriers parallel to the axis of rotationof the split gear independently arranged sets of gearsforsimultancmislydriving each section of? the split gear, a pair of shaftsfor actuating said gearing, and means for simultaneously driving saidshafts whereby the sections of said split gear and the carrierssupporting the same may change position with reference to the frame ofthe machine without changing theirelative position of the carriers withrespect to each other.

The combination, in a wire weaving machine, of a frame, a pair ofindependent movable carriers vertically disposed and rotatable in unisonaround a common axis, a wire reel mounted in each carrier and rotatableon an exis parallel to the axis of rotation of the carriers, independentear sections mounted on each carrier in definite spaced relation withrespect to each other, a flange mounted on each carrier in concentricrelation to the gear sections. gearing meshing with said split gearsections for rotating the carriers; the latter maintaining theirrelative position with respect to each other, and rollers forming abearing support for said split gear sections and the concentric flangesand around which they may turn. 7

3. The combination of a frame, a plurality of independent verticallydisposed reel carriers, reels rotatably mounted in said carriers. aplurality of rollers forming a bearin; uponwhich said carriers mayrotate, gear sections mounted on said carriers and disposed in spacedrelation with respect to each other, flanges disposed on the carriers inconcentric relation to said gear sections; said gear sections andflanges being iournaled upon and adapted to rotate with respeet to theseveral rollers, and gearing meshing with said gear sections for ett'ecting simultaneous movement. 01 the carriers upon which they are mountedwhereby their relation with respect to each other is analtered.

In witness whereof I aliix my signature.

VVILLIA M M. SMELO

